I was on the tennis court recently and not playing particularly well.
My wife (and playing partner) told me I was not following through with my swing. Despite the fact that it was a friendly game on a Sunday afternoon, I was hesitant and nervous about making a mistake. Once I realized what I was doing and reminded myself this was just a game against Gary and Amy and not Roger and Coco, I was able to loosen up and follow through.
The difference was immediate. When I stopped caring about where the ball ended up and instead focused on proper mechanics, the outcome took care of itself.
We ended up winning easily.
There is a sales lesson here. New salespeople are desperate for business and it is apparent in every part of their sales call, especially the tone behind their words. But successful legacy reps exude a confidence that is calming and care-free.
They sell like they mean it, but not like they need it.
Let’s say you had an annual sales goal of $500,000 and the order you enter on October 1st of that year got you over the threshold. Every dollar you enter after that is a bonus. Can’t you see how different your sales call would be? How easily the words would come to you? How calm and confident you would be?
It’s that same approach you must use for the calls you make from January 1st to September 30th.
Take your job seriously, of course, but sell with the confidence that says, “I’ve already hit my quota for the year.” The difference will be apparent to everyone around you, including—and especially—to the customer.
It’s a strange phenomenon: When you sell like you don’t need the business, the business flows to you.
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